Eolake points to this video this week, one of his favorite Woodman videos. Ben Law lives and works at Prickly Nut Woods in West Sussex, where apart from making a living from coppicing he trains apprentices and runs courses on sustainable woodland management, ecobuilding and permaculture design.
Apparently, it took Ben many years to get his permits to build. The laws protecting woodland in the UK are pretty tough as I guess they probably are in most countries. We live in a bureaucratic world which is probably as good as it is bad. If everyone and anyone could build a house were they wanted, our shared natural environment would be a poorer place.
Here is the heart wrenching video, heart wrenching on a number of levels:
This dedication to building as a part of the environment rather than on top of it is the stuff of great stories. I can never get enough of it even though it’s not a path I would choose.
The Bis Key Chronicles 